“Opponents of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which was recently completed, argue it would make Russia less reliant on the Ukrainian gas pipeline network, potentially stripping a key deterrent to invasion, according to The Wilson Center. Nord Stream 2 would remove both a key revenue source from Ukraine and a powerful tool the nation has in defending itself against Russian aggression.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said this week the U.S. would take a more direct role in diplomacy to address Vladimir Putin’s concerns over Ukraine and Europe, part of a broader effort to dissuade the Russian leader from a destabilizing invasion of Ukraine.
But any negotiations to peacefully resolve Europe’s tangled East-West rivalries will present minefields for the U.S. president.
Administration officials have suggested that the U.S. will press Ukraine to formally cede a measure of autonomy to eastern Ukrainian lands now controlled by Russia-backed separatists who rose up against Kyiv in 2014. An undefined “special status” for those areas was laid out in an ambiguous, European-brokered peace deal in 2015, but it has never taken hold.
US President Joe Biden has said that putting American troops on the ground in Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion is “not on the table”.
But Mr Biden warned of severe consequences if Russia did invade.
He was speaking a day after two hours of talks by video link with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
‘Speak Loudly And Carry A Small Stick’: Republicans Blast Biden’s Response To Putin’s Escalation In Ukraine
Republicans blasted President Joe Biden’s efforts to prevent a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine as “weak” and “embarrassing” hours after Biden held a call Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Republicans from all corners of the party criticized Biden after he only threatened an economic response should Russia move forward with an invasion of Ukraine. Both White House press secretary Jen Psaki and national security adviser Jake Sullivan refused to state whether the U.S. or NATO would be willing to take direct military action to defend Ukraine.
President Joe Biden held a virtual summit meeting that lasted two hours with Russian president Vladimir Putin on Tuesday amid mounting military tensions over Ukraine. Though the Biden administration has been eager to focus on China rather than Russia, Putin is adroitly ensuring that Moscow remains a central player in world politics. The summit itself was a potent sign of the Kremlin’s influence.
“Greetings, Mr. President!” Putin reportedly said at the start of the call. “Good to see you again,” Biden responded. “Unfortunately last time we didn’t get to see one another at the G20. I am hoping next time we meet we do it in person.”
A massive build-up of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border is fueling speculation of an imminent invasion. Western leaders have warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against military action, but, especially after the catastrophic American withdrawal from Afghanistan, they appear divided and weak and may be unable to stop him.
A Russian invasion of Ukraine, if successful, would expand Moscow’s sphere of influence along its western border and pave the way for Eastern Europe and the Baltics to come under Russian domination once again.
Will Russia invade? I have my doubts. Maybe the intent is to widen the growing schisms within NATO by warlike posturing. I doubt the majority of NATO members would go to war over Ukraine and that will at the least herald the beginning of the end of the alliance. That may be Putin’s immediate goal, neatly accomplished without need of an invasion.
U.S. and NATO officials have warned in recent weeks about a new spurt of Russian military activity on the easternmost side of the Russian-Ukrainian border. According to the most recent estimates, around 90,000-100,000 Russian troops are arrayed along the border zone. Though this number is down from the roughly 150,000 Russian personnel who took part in Moscow’s springtime buildup, military experts and Western intelligence sources have expressed alarm over the “unusual” and “out of cycle” nature of the recent movements. The Kremlin’s full intentions remain unknown, which is the way Russian president Vladimir Putin likes it.
Canada, the United States and Britain should jointly and swiftly provide military support to Ukraine in its standoff with Russia, Ukraine’s defence minister said in an interview, warning that steps to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading were necessary now because “it will be too late after.”
Oleksii Reznikov said he detected a split within the NATO military alliance over how far to go in supporting Ukraine. Canada, the U.S., and Britain were more willing to challenge Mr. Putin’s aggressive behaviour, he said, while countries like Germany and France were hesitant because they were concerned about maintaining their economic relationships with Russia.
Go incognito
As senior U.S. officials become increasingly concerned that Russia is not bluffing, the former president of Ukraine is urging Canada to become more actively involved in his country’s bid for NATO membership.
Petro Poroshenko, in an interview with CBC News, said the ongoing buildup of Russian forces on the border with Ukraine lends a fresh urgency to the 13-year-old effort to become part of the Western military and security alliance.
He’s urging member countries to offer a pathway to full NATO membership at the next leaders’ summit in Madrid, and he believes Canada, as an original sponsor of Ukraine’s ambitions, has an important role to play.
Stung by allegations that its troops trained neo-Nazis in Ukraine, Canada’s defense department has launched a review into the vetting process on its “mentoring” and “capacity building” programs for foreign military personnel.
In response to the bombshell accusations, defense department spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier revealed that an internal review had begun last month that will “look holistically at all missions” where the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are involved with foreign military personnel.
The move comes after a report found that far-right extremists in the Ukrainian military bragged on social media that they received training from the Canadian Armed Forces and took part in joint exercises.
A top Canadian Jewish group is asking Canada’s Department of National Defense to investigate its training of Ukrainian soldiers after revelations that a neo-Nazi group had infiltrated Ukraine’s military.
A study by the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at George Washington University revealed that members of the Ukrainian military were involved with a far-right group called Centuria.
They were documented giving Nazi salutes, praising members of the SS, and pushing white nationalist ideas.
Far-right extremists in Ukraine’s military have bragged they received training from the Canadian Forces and other NATO nations, a new study from an American university has uncovered.
The study from an institute at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., tracked social media accounts of the far-right group Centuria, documenting its Ukrainian military members giving Nazi salutes, promoting white nationalism and praising members of Nazi SS units.
Kyiv’s frustration over a lack of support and engagement from the US might be understandable. Their reaction to it is mystifying, however, and will almost certainly turn out very badly for Ukraine in multiple ways. NBC News reports that Ukraine has turned to China for infrastructure investment, and has already sold out to Beijing’s regime on human rights.
The downing of Flight 752 by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards was a deliberate act of terrorism, the Ontario Superior Court has ruled in a decision released on Thursday.
Justice Edward Belobaba found “on a balance of probabilities that the missile attacks on Flight 752 were intentional.”
“The plaintiffs have established that the shooting down of Flight 752 by the defendants was an act of terrorism and constitutes ‘terrorist activity,’” the judge added.
The search warrant is an escalation in the feds’ probe of the former mayor, who is being investigated over whether he illegally lobbied former President Donald Trump on behalf of officials and oligarchs in Ukraine, the Times reported.
“Giuliani’s attorney Bob Costello says the raid ‘is totally unnecessary’ and the only reason for it is ‘bad publicity’ to “make him (Rudy) look like he’s some sort of criminal.” Fox News’ John Roberts tweeted, citing reporter Marta Dhanis.
